Pages

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

RAY NEGRON: A TRUE YANKEE MIRACLE

On a hot summer’s day in 1973 in the Bronx, a seventeen-year-old
boy, attempting to fit in with his cousins and siblings, decided to
spray-paint the New York Yankee symbol on the side of Yankee Stadium. He
was caught in the act by George Steinbrenner himself and made into a
batboy. He grew up to be a special advisor to the Yankees, a community
leader, children’s book author and a close friend to several Yankee
legends. This kid is none other than Ray Negron.

(In Photo: batboy, Ray Negron (center), Joe Pepitone (left))
In his new
book “Yankee Miracles”, Negron recounts his life since that fateful day
in 1973. He tells of his special friendships with many Yankee greats
including Billy Martin, Reggie Jackson, Thurman Munson, Alex Rodriguez
and the Boss himself. He gives us an insight like none I have ever read
before to the very human emotions that some of our favorite players have
encountered.

I think my favorite part of the book were the
sections on Reggie Jackson and Alex Rodriguez. The similarities between
the two are incredible and it makes sense to me now more then ever that
they later became friends. But I especially loved reading the chapter on
Alex. Alex is one of those players that gets a lot of bad press. It’s
almost as if the media wants to fault him with the failures of the
entire world. The section is brief, but you get a whole new perspective
on Alex, the man, not the ball player. It really is touching and gave me
a whole new respect for Alex.

“Yankees Miracles” was an
incredible read, not just for Yankees fans but also for everyone who
loves baseball. It is a wonderful reminder to never stop chasing your
dreams and believing in miracles. We live in a world where that message
is often muted into nonexistence. Ray Negron uses anecdotes and truly
heartfelt stories to convey that beautifully.

“Yankees
Miracles” is available now at bookstores. A portion of the proceeds goes
to help the Boys and Girls Club and Cancer Research. I highly recommend
this book to everyone who is a Yankee fan and who has ever wanted a
deeper, truer understanding of the men who have worn pinstripes.